Electrochromic materials have been suggested for use with energy efficient windows, as these coatings are able to reversibly change their solar transmittance under the application of a small electrical potential. This optical switching property is of great interest for energy-saving “smart window” applications. Based on an electrochemical cell architecture, smart windows can reduce energy consumption in buildings by optimizing solar gain.
Despite the promise of electrochromic materials in smart windows and other applications, current electrochromic technologies in the market have not reached their commercial potential predominately due to high cost and limited performance. One contribution to the high cost is related to the fact that processing electrochromic materials into films is challenging. Commercially available smart window coatings are deposited from a vapor phase using vacuum operated sputtering chambers, which drives up the cost of fabrication.